memri
March 26, 2003 Special Dispatch No. 486

Friday Sermon on Palestinian Authority Television

March 26, 2003
Palestinians | Special Dispatch No. 486

The following are excerpts from a Friday sermon which was delivered at the Sheikh 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza by Palestinian Authority preacher Sheikh Ibrahim Madeiris and was broadcast live on Palestinian Authority TV:[1]

"…Allah drowned Pharaoh and those who were with him. Allah drowns the Pharaohs of every generation. Allah will drown the little Pharaoh, the dwarf, the Pharaoh of all times, of our time, the American President. Allah will drown America in our seas, in our skies, in our land. America will drown and all the oppressors will drown."

"Oh, people of Palestine, Oh, people of Iraq. The crusader, Zionist America has started an attack against our Iraq, the Iraq of Islam and Arabism, the Iraq of civilization and history. It opened a Crusader Zionist war against Iraq. If Iraq is defeated, if the nation [of Islam] is defeated in Iraq - this will be our last breath of life... It was only natural that America would invade Iraq. When Afghanistan was devoured we said that if Afghanistan would be devoured, Iraq too would be devoured and I warned that if Iraq is devoured, south Lebanon will be devoured too and Syria should also start preparing because the rest of the Arab world fell without war. This is a Zionist Crusader war. It is not I who say this, it was the little Pharaoh [Bush] who announced it when he stated that this was a Crusader attack. Hasn't he said this? I'm amazed at some of the clerics of the nation [of Islam] who cooperate with their [treachery]… I am amazed that they are trying to keep the nation away from Jihad… and they issue Fatwas according to which this war is not against Islam, but against Iraq, as though the people of Iraq are calf worshippers or fire worshippers. Aren't they Muslims?… I am speaking about the people not about the regime…"

"Why Iraq? Why precisely Iraq? Is it because it is in possession of weapons of mass destruction as they claim? No. The U.N. has proven that this claim is not true but despite this America wants to wage war against Iraq. Why Iraq, Oh Muslims? Wake up. You're being attacked because of your religion. Iraq is being attacked for a number of reasons: There are economic and security reasons. There are reasons stemming from personal vendetta, there are historical reasons, and there are religious reasons."

"You all know that America is enduring now an economic crisis that nearly finishes it. Hence it has no choice but to start a war… there should be war in order to raise the American standard of living. Iraq is the only Gulf state whose oil is not controlled by America…"

"And there are personal reasons. You all know about the slap in the face which Iraq gave America at the time of the first invasion, when Iraq gave a knock out [punch] to America, the result of which was that Pharaoh the father [George Bush, Sr.] lost the presidency. This is a mark of shame on this family and therefore Pharaoh the son returned to power in order to take revenge. The only way to remove the shame is to topple down the Iraqi regime…"

"This is also a religious war. What is the connection between Iraq and the Crusaders' wars?"

"Just as Palestine is sacred so is also the land of Iraq, because the Prophet said so…"

"America will be destroyed, Allah willing, and Palestine, Iraq, and the Middle East will become a cemetery for oppressors…"[2]


[1]For videos and transcripts of sermons on Palestinian Authority TV, visit http://www.memri.org/video.

[2] Palestinian Authority TV, March 21, 2003.

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